Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 277 All for Oil

5. Shanghai, Japanese-occupied area, temporary location of Lanzhou government agency.

Kazuki Takaji is listening to Yoko Minamida's report!
"The South Manchuria Railway Company took away Xiang Fang's wife and daughter. How could they know we were interrogating Xiang Fang?" Kazuyo instinctively felt something was amiss.

Xiang Fang's arrest was a top-secret operation; logically, the South Manchuria Railway Company shouldn't have received the news so quickly.

Moreover, they acted immediately and were able to ambush Guo Caiyu's residence a step ahead.

Just when He Zhiying was completely baffled!
A loud bang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shattered the cold, silent air above the interrogation room.

The heavy, specially made explosion-proof iron door was violently smashed open from the outside by a huge external force, and small pieces of concrete fell from the edge of the door frame.

The heavy door slammed against the wall, which was reinforced with anti-collision pads, producing a dull, cannon-like echo.

Three unfamiliar figures forced their way in with overwhelming force!
The man in the lead was exceptionally burly, with a thin black overcoat open, revealing a conspicuous holster and a tightly wrapped belt around his waist.

His face was square and rugged, as if cleaved by an axe. His chin was shaved dark and shiny, and a dark red surgical scar, about an inch long, stood out prominently above his left temple, like a brutal brand.

A pair of small, sharp, triangular eyes swept across the entire interrogation scene with a sinister look, carrying the ferocious, vulture-like presence of someone discovering a carcass, sending chills down one's spine.

Toshio Nakayama, the head of the Second Section of the Special Operations Division of the South Manchuria Railway Bureau, entered and coldly stared at the people in the interrogation room, his face bearing the toughness and bloodthirstiness unique to South Manchuria Railway agents.

Section Chief Nakayama completely ignored the bloodied body still hanging in the room and the pungent smell of blood. His cold gaze was unabashedly fixed on Kazuchi Takaji's face: "Colonel Kazuchi?"

"By special permission from the Kwantung Defense Command and Major General Mizukawa of the Special Service Section of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army Command, the Second Section of the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department shall, effective immediately, assume full authority over all interrogation and detention duties related to the 'Yoshida Case'!"

As Nakayama Toshio announced at breakneck speed, he pulled out a still-freshly printed order from his pocket. The bright red seal of the Kwantung Army on the paper was as glaring as a pool of congealed blood.

He practically hurled the order at Wachi Takaji's chest, his actions extremely rude and aggressive.

“Baka Yaro…” Nantian Yangzi took half a step forward, her right hand quietly moving an inch to her side and back waist, where the work gun holster was.

She keenly noticed a very subtle twitch in the muscles of Chiyoji's face, and that his several Special High Command members instinctively shifted their center of gravity to a concealed, ready-to-go position.

"Xiang Fang is involved in Manchukuo military secrets!" Zhongshan's voice was like a heavy hammer striking ice. As he announced this harshly, his gaze swept over the two shirtless executioners in the corner. "Now, remove their clothes immediately! Hand them over to us!"

"Hattori-kun, make your move!"

The two burly men from the South Manchuria Railway he brought didn't even wait for Chiyoji's permission before rushing towards the hanging Xiang Fang!

"Stop!" Nantian Yangzi shouted, her body about to move.

But Kazuo Takaji's arm suddenly blocked her way like a cold iron fence.

Wachi Takaji's gaze passed over Nakayama and landed on the two South Manchuria Railway agents behind him, who stood like silent iron towers.

Their faces bore a distinctive indifferent expression, and their right hands were placed very naturally below the gun handle at their waists.

Without a doubt, the South Manchuria Railway Company had made thorough preparations, and any violent resistance would only lead to uncontrollable events.

The chains were roughly broken, the clanging of the steel shackles carrying a sense of humiliation.

Xiang Fang's enormous body, resembling a tattered sack, plummeted heavily to the ground.

Two South Manchuria Railway agents roughly dragged him up, as if he were a dying animal waiting to be slaughtered.

"All original records!" Nakayama's gaze swept across every corner of the room, and he gave the unquestionable order to Wachi Takaji, "Yoshida's death scene investigation record, forensic identification copy, Dr. Nohara's autopsy report, original transcripts of all interrogations... hand them over immediately!"

The cold air seemed to freeze.

Kazuki Takaji stared intently into Nakayama Toshio's triangular eyes, which reflected the pale light, without uttering a word. He turned and walked toward a dark, black metal filing cabinet in the corner next to Minamida.

The slight mechanical sound of the key being inserted into the lock seemed particularly jarring in the suffocating space.

The cabinet door opened and closed, and He Zhiying held a bulging black hard leather file bag in his hand. It contained the core case file that Nantian and the executioner had been working on to adjust the details of the interrogation of Xiang Fang over the past few days, as well as the key information that had just been added.

He walked step by step to Nakayama Toshio, before he could even hand over the file folder.

Zhongshan, however, snatched it away roughly, the force of which carried a deliberate and straightforward contempt, almost pulling He Zhiying's hand along with it!

Yoko Minami's face darkened, while Takaji Kazuki remained calm and slowly stepped aside!
This isn't like him!
Nantian looked at Kazuo Takaji with some confusion. When did this person become so tolerant?

Or perhaps he had foreseen all of this and was already prepared.

According to Nantian's assessment, the latter seems to be more likely!

Zhongshan glanced quickly at the label on the sealed bag, confirming it was clear and unaltered. He then abruptly raised his head and stared intently at Kazue Takaji's face: "I advise Mr. Kazue, and also tell anyone behind you who cares about this case, to immediately erase all traces of the Xiang plan from your minds!"

"I must remind you, this is not a request, it is an order! Any further attempt to access the core and sensitive intelligence of this case will be considered a hostile attack on the highest interest institution of Manchukuo!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go!"

The next moment, Zhongshan turned and left with Xiang Fang and the sealed dossier.

The heavy iron door slammed shut again, leaving a suffocating echo in the empty interrogation room, the floor littered with filth and water stains...

Shinichi Ando stood stiffly at the edge of the shadows, his face slightly flushed...

"Colonel Kazuchi, we've done so much, and we're just going to give up like this?"

"I feel we're only one step away from the truth!"

Kazuchi Takaji smiled and said, "Ando-kun, what are you trying to say?"

“I wasn’t sure who the real killer behind the Yoshida case was before,” Ando Shinichi said, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. “But this time, they appeared out of nowhere and took Xiang Fang away in such a hurry.”

"Colonel Kazuchi, the South Manchuria Railway's wolfish intentions are now crystal clear!"

Wachi Takaji's expression shifted slightly: "Ando-kun also believes that the South Manchuria Railway Company's behavior in this operation was abnormal."

"So, you think the mastermind behind the Yoshida murder case is the South Manchuria Railway Bureau of Investigation?"

"But what are their motives for doing this?"

"Yoshida is a transportation officer at the South Manchuria Railway Company, and most of his team members are also mid-level managers at the company."

"They have no reason to turn against their own people."

"unless……"

Ando picked up the conversation, saying, "They discovered Yoshida's secret? Could it be related to the smuggled goods you mentioned?"

Nantian suddenly said, "Colonel Kazuchi, have we overlooked someone? The current Vice Minister of Transport, Chen Yang!"

Ando and Kazuo Takaji exchanged a glance: "Section Chief Minamida, why did you suddenly think that Minister Chen had a problem?"

"There is currently no evidence pointing to Minister Chen."

Yoko Minami frowned and said, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel like everything we've done has gone too smoothly. Colonel Kazutoshi, don't you think that when we were handling this case, everything we wanted just happened to come true!"

"If we want to investigate the case, we'll focus on Nohara."

"By investigating the process, we can find information about Nohara and successfully locate his body!"

“If we want to find the murderer, we can find Xiang Fang. If we want to find someone, Ando-kun’s informant brings news of Xiang Fang. But at the crucial moment, Xiang Fang is taken away.”

“My intuition tells me that someone is using us to gradually reveal the secret of Yoshida’s murder to the South Manchuria Railway Company.”

"I don't quite understand the purpose of doing this,"

"However, I believe the only person who should do this is Minister Chen!"

Kazue Takaji suddenly turned around: "Nan Tian, ​​you mean we've been under someone else's control from beginning to end?"

"The reason we were able to solve Yoshida's murder case so quickly was because someone wanted us to do it?"

"His target isn't us, but the South Manchuria Railway?"

"From this perspective, Yoshida's death was actually a power struggle between the Ministry of Transport and the South Manchuria Railway!"

"But for what purpose?"

Yoko Minamida and Takaji Kazuchi exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat confused.

What are the two transportation departments fighting over that requires killing a deputy minister?

Just then, Shinichi Ando's voice rang out.

"Colonel Kazuchi, Section Chief Minamida, do you think it might be about controlling the transportation?"

"Transportation control?" Wachi Takaji's expression shifted, and he quickly asked, "Ando-kun, do you know something?"

Shinichi Ando pondered, "The Ministry of Transport and the South Manchuria Railway Company had a dispute before over the northward supply line."

"Later, Yoshida died. If that's the reason, I think Vice Minister of Transport Chen Yang did have a reason to kill Yoshida."

"What I don't understand is, since both sides have clearly back to the table, who would want to reopen this case!"

"If you're talking about Minister Chen, he's already received his share of the benefits. If the Yoshida murder case comes to light, it won't do him any good!"

"But if it were someone else, who would go against a South Manchuria Railway transport official?"

Shinichi Ando's words seemed to have dragged both of them into a trap. Logically, since it was Chen Yang who did the dirty work, he had no reason to expose what he had done! But if it wasn't him, why would anyone else target a South Manchuria Railway transport officer who held the same position as Chen Yang?
"What exactly is the motive?" Kazuchi Takaji also became somewhat rambling...

The investigation is now almost complete; we're just one step away from figuring out the whole story.

But without Xiang Fang, everything seemed shrouded in a fog.

The South Manchuria Railway Company's actions seem to suggest murder, but no motive can be found!
Chen Yang had a motive, but he had no reason to betray himself!
"No matter what, we can't lose the initiative." A cold glint flashed in Nantian's eyes. "Xiang Fang's testimony is our only bargaining chip, our last chance. We must gain more power and support before the South Manchuria Railway Company can completely pry him out or relocate and hide his family!"

Shinichi Ando frowned and said, "Has Colonel Kazuchi already handed over the evidence to Mr. Nakayama of the South Manchuria Railway? What do we have left?"

"When did I say there was only one statement?" Wachi Takaji smiled contemptuously, nodding emphatically at Nantian. "You're right. We can't just wait here! Does the South Manchuria Railway Company think they can control everything? The ironclad rules of the Imperial intelligence system cannot be overstepped by them!"

Yoko Minami said in a deep voice, "I suggest we draft an emergency secret report! It should include everything that happened here, the Yoshida case, Xiang Fang as the murderer, and the South Manchuria Railway's blatant interference with the Special Higher Police's investigation."

"The unauthorized detention of a key relative of the target—what are the possible motives behind it! All of this poses a potentially significant threat to the security of Shanghai and even the Empire..."

"Complete every detail into a top-secret memorandum! Submit it directly to the Imperial Inspection Department in Tokyo! Be sure to specify: Request the Imperial Inspection Department to conduct a top-level review of the boundaries of authority and responsibilities and any unusual behavior of the South Manchuria Railway Company's Shanghai office!"

“Section Chief Nantian is absolutely right!” Kazuo Takaji added, “This letter needs that old wolf Nakamura Masao’s channel to reach the highest levels of authority as quickly as possible!”

Nantian replied without hesitation, "Yes! I will immediately communicate with Lord Nakamura, but what about Xiang Fang..."

“There shouldn’t be any major problems in the short term!” Wachi Takaji’s expression tightened slightly. “We are racing against time with the South Manchuria Railway Company. As long as the Inspection Department gives clear instructions, the South Manchuria Railway Company will not dare to disobey.”

"If they can't hand over the person by then, he won't be able to avoid taking responsibility for killing his colleague!"

…………

In Tokyo, inside the Imperial Inspection Department building, the lights were as bright as day, but the people walking through it possessed a chill etched into their very bones that could freeze any nascent warmth in one's heart, even in the sweltering summer heat.

The office of Eiji Kujo, the head of the Inspection Department, occupies the best south-facing location.

The thick, sound-absorbing wool carpet swallowed the sound of footsteps, and the air was filled with the deep, woody aroma of cigars.

Eiji Kujo sat behind his large rosewood desk, like a mountain lost in thought.

The light from the lampshade was stingy in illuminating the lower half of his face, revealing a thin lip pressed into a line beneath his straight nose, and wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes that were the furrows etched by the power of authority.

He wasn't wearing a tuxedo, just a perfectly pressed dark gray waistcoat, which made his physique look as robust as it had in his youth.

The copper scalpel on the table gleamed with a dull, cold light, reflecting the secret report that had just been sent from Shanghai by express courier between his fingers.

The hardcover file of that report was carelessly placed on top of a mountain of documents.

The cover of the document features the badge of the Inspection Section, decorated with cherry blossoms and paulownia leaves, and the gold cherry blossom emblem representing the Shanghai Special Higher Police next to it, which is particularly eye-catching.

Eiji Kujo's fingers, with their large knuckles and the strength left over from his military service, tapped the table slowly yet heavily.

Opposite him, his secretary, Shinichi Takagi, stood with his hands at his sides, the air so still it could cut glass.

This accusation against the South Manchuria Railway Company from the intelligence agency carries significant weight.

With each stroke of Minister Kujo's fingertips, it was as if he were measuring the potential range of the vortex triggered by this secret letter.

"South Manchuria Railway..." Kujo Eiji finally spoke, his voice like a dull knife scraping against a rusty iron plate: "They've always been the ones covering that area. Now the Special Higher Police are jumping up and tearing it apart, even dragging in that old fox, Kazuki Takaji, from the Ranka Agency. Hmph, a commander from the Taiyuan intelligence agency running off to Shanghai to challenge the South Manchuria Railway, does Kazuki Takaji think the waters aren't muddy enough?"

He leaned forward slightly, the lamplight highlighting the sharp silver edges of his meticulously styled gray hair. "Where's the information on the Yoshida case?"

Takagi immediately bowed and presented a much thinner document with both hands: "Minister, our internal investigation has limited results. Public records indicate that he was assassinated by the Military Intelligence Bureau!"

"But now Colonel Kazuchi insists that this case has nothing to do with the Military Intelligence Bureau, and that someone hired an assassin to attack Yoshida."

"Based on their current deductions, someone within the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) is deliberately committing murder to cover up something."

"A cover-up? Is it really worth putting the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's Investigation Bureau, the Special Higher Police, and the Lan Agency head-on over something so trivial?" Kujo Eiji didn't take the document; his gaze was sharp as a scalpel. The crux of the matter now was that the South Manchuria Railway's forceful interception was a deliberate attempt to undermine the core ironclad rule of the Empire's intelligence system...

“South Manchuria Railway…” His finger traced heavily across the lead lettering on the report that indicated “top secret”, leaving a blurry mark, while his gaze was already fixed on the deep twilight of Tokyo outside the office window.

"Xiang Fang is nothing more than a tool, a clue. Behind this report are two beasts, the Army's Transportation Department and the South Manchuria Railway, tearing each other apart over control of transportation!"

"It's a pity. There can only be one controlling stake in transportation. Since it's already been given to the Ministry of Transport and the South Manchuria Railway, we can't take it back."

“Takagi,” the voice suddenly turned cold, “prepare the car.”

In Tokyo, the massive, dark gray buildings of the Ministry of the Navy stand majestically under the night sky, like a giant ship lying dormant in a harbor.

Shinshiro Toyoda's residence, which was the residence of the Vice Minister of Naval Affairs, was quite different in style.

The courtyard is not large, but it is exceptionally exquisite.

Ripples were carved out by the white sand, surrounding several jagged, reclining stones, exuding a desolate chill in the silence.

At the end of the dry landscape garden, an old maple tree, still verdant through winter, stands silently in the evening breeze.

The study door was silently opened and closed, and Kujo Eiji slipped in like a silent shadow.

Shinshiro Toyoda was kneeling before a simple pine table by the window, holding a warm tea whisk in one hand, intently frothing the tea in an antique Jian ware teacup.

He was dressed in a dark navy blue naval officer's uniform, the gold thread on his epaulets occasionally flashing a sharp glint in the dim floor lamplight.

The light barely illuminated the wooden table and the face, while the rest of the space was shrouded in carefully designed shadows.

Toyota was around fifty years old. His face was angular, honed by the sea breeze and power. His eyebrows and eyes were long and thin, like knives, but deep in his eyes seemed to be a frozen sea, unfathomable.

He nodded slightly, gesturing for Eiji Kujo to sit down, and another cup of warm tea was silently pushed onto the tatami mat opposite him.

There was nothing else on the table except a small, pure white miniature model of a seagoing ship, its lines as smooth as a drawn bayonet.

Eiji Kujo picked up his teacup. The fine tea foam was mixed with a rich, mellow, and sweet broth, undoubtedly a top-quality tea.

Both were silent, except for the mournful sound of the iron horse-drawn carriages on the eaves being torn apart by the night wind, which intermittently pierced the deathly silence.

Outside the window, the stubborn old maple tree was only a blurry outline in the night.

Finally, Kujo put down his teacup and said in a very low voice, "There's something hot to the touch, from the Special Higher Police and Nakamura."

A simple, unadorned file folder was placed lightly next to the white ship model on the desk; it was thick and heavy.

Shinshiro Toyoda finally looked away from the warm tea and his gaze fell like two ice beads on the army insignia on the cover of the document bag.

He didn't open it immediately, but instead stretched out three fingers and pressed them against the opening of the bag. The knuckles protruded, bearing the calluses honed from years of issuing orders, and the paper under his fingers remained completely still.

"That army wolf, Masao Nakamura, and his henchman, whose belly is full of torture drugs?" Toyota's voice remained completely flat.

Eiji Kujo was not surprised by Shinshiro Toyoda's evaluation of Takaji Wachi!

After all, the Lan Agency is nothing more than an intelligence agency with some interrogation techniques in the face of the Imperial Navy!

"What are they arguing about?" After a long silence, Toyota asked the core question.

Kujo Eiji sighed and said slowly, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."

“Those people in Nakamura’s position can’t see clearly, but I’m on the outside and I’m certain that it’s nothing more than a question of who has the dominant control over the transportation!”

“That old fox Fujiwara isn’t stupid. He’s been helping his disciple with his activities in Kyoto, and he even has spies in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Imperial Guard.”

Shinshiro Toyoda said without any surprise, "That old fox from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a keen sense of smell. Seeing the mainland dogs and the South Manchuria Railway gnawing at each other, he wanted to jump down and grab a bone himself."

“That’s his disciple. If someone is targeting him, Vice Minister Fujiwara naturally wouldn’t stand by and watch.” Eiji Kujo put down his teacup. “After all, the Army Transport Department has performed exceptionally well these past two years!”

"Fujiwara, the Vice Minister, has praised his disciple in front of others on more than one occasion, and he feels that Nakamura is targeting his disciple..."

Toyota's fingers unconsciously traced the army insignia on the document bag, as if trying to scrape off the gold dust: "Kujo-kun, if I were to ask you to suppress this letter, as if it had never appeared, would you agree?"

Kujo Eiji paused, then asked, "Mr. Toyota, what are you trying to say?"

Toyota took a sip of tea and suddenly changed the subject: "Did you know that we still have a batch of goods stuck in our hands? Military supplies, which passed through the Osaka shipyard... but have been 'stranded'."

“Someone is investigating, investigating very deeply, and there are also dissenting voices within the Navy. The source is in Kansai.”

"The food is so hot I can barely hold it."

Kujo Eiji's face was as still as an ancient temple statue, but a subtle understanding flashed deep in his pupils.

The army is fighting against Manchuria Railway, and Vice Minister Toyota is holding a charcoal canister that could also blow up the navy to pieces.

So that's how it is. No wonder Fujiwara, that old fox, was in such a hurry to make his move. It turns out that this subtle "favor" move was precisely what he intended to achieve.

He didn't inquire into the specifics of the so-called "goods." Everyone in the upper echelons of the empire knew perfectly well how deep and murky the waters were behind naval supplies.

All he needed to see was the ruthless determination in Toyota's eyes to get rid of the charcoal fire at all costs.

"So, are you trying to tell me that you guys were behind the Ministry of Transport doing this? Including Fujiwara!" Kujo Eiji said with a smile.

"Not entirely accurate. We don't need these goods for ourselves!" Shinshiro Toyoda sighed, dipped his finger in tea, and slowly wrote two words...

"oil……"

Yes, it's all for oil...

(End of this chapter)